Railroad car door means

ABSTRACT

IN A RAILROAD BOX CAR, A PAIR OF SLIDABLE DOORS EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE CAR, THE UPPER AND LOWER DOOR FRAMING OF EACH DOOR PROVIDING A BAFFLE SEAL ARRANGEMENT WITH THE UPPER SIDE PLATE AND LOWER SIDE SILL, THE UPPER AND LOWER FRAMING CARRYING ROLLER MEANS MOUNTABLE ON TRACK STRUCTURE ON THE SIDE PLATE AND SIDE SILL TO SLIDINGLY SUPPORT THE DOORS FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER, THE OUTER END OF EACH DOOR SEALING WITH THE RESPECTIVE OUTER POST AND THE INNER END OF EACH DOOR SEALING WITH THE OTHER, THE INNER DOOR SLIDING PAST THE OUTER DOOR TO PERMIT APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF OF THE CAR SIDE TO BE EXPOSED.

United States Patent pt I [72] Inventors Ray L. Ferris Thornton, 1.; William R. Shaver, Munster, 1nd.; Jan W. Dohne, South Holland, 111. [21] Appl. No. 787,445 [22] Filed Dec. 30, 1968 [45] Patented June 28,1971 [73] Assignee Pullman Incorporated Chicago, Ill.

[54] RAILROAD CAR DOOR MEANS 8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 105/378, 49/410, 49/474 [51] Int. Cl B61d 17/00 [50] Field of Search 105/378, 366; 49/410, 41 l, 412, 472, 473, 474

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,921,422 8/1933 Mattern 49/412 8 adl Primary ExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman AttorneysHilmond O. Vogel and Wayne Morris Russell ABSTRACT: In a railroad box car, a pair of slidable doors extending the length of the car, the upper and lower door framing of each door providing a baffle seal arrangement with the upper side plate and lower side sill, the upper and lower framing carrying roller means mountable on track structure on the side plate and side sill to slidingly support the doors for movement toward and away from one another, the outer end of each door sealing with the respective outer post and the inner end of each door sealing with the other, the inner door sliding past the outer door to permit approximately one-half of the car side to be exposed.

RAILROAD CAR DOOR MEANS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of this invention to provide for sliding doors for a railroad car wherein each door is hung on door moving means from upper sideplate structure, the upper and lower ends ofeach door overlapping with the upper and lower longitudinal structural side beam members of the car to provide a baffle seal relation at the top and bottom of a car. Another object of the invention is to provide for door end seal between each sliding door and between the respective end post means of the full door box car. Another object of the invention is to provide for a door suspension track integral with the extruded aluminum sideplate of the car and where the door is provided with rollers that move in the door roller guide track of the door suspension arrangement. The top plate member provides a closure member relation with the top portions of the door to provide suitable movable guide and sealing movable doors and the door opening portions of the box car. Multiple guide arrangements are also provided for at the lower side of the door opening portions to cooperate with the lower portions of the door and permitting relative sliding movement of the inner door relative to the outer door.

These and other objects will become apparent from reference to the following description and drawing, to wit:

FIG. I is a longitudinal side elevational view of a railroad box car employing the features of the novel invention;

FIG. 1a is a partial sectional view taken along line la-la of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. l;'

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference now to the drawings and in particular with reference to FIG. 1 there is shown a box car 2 mounted on a pair of trucks 2a and having a roof3 provided with roof sheeting 30 and having sides 4 and ends 4a. The box car is provided with a pair of relatively sliding doors, the inner door 5 being suspended by roller means from the top sideplate structure 8 of the car as is the outer or outside slidable door 6. Each ofthe doors 5 and 6 are guided at their bottoms by roller means engaging baffle structure attached to the bottom side sills 7, 7 of the car. Each door 5 or 6 is composed of an aluminum frame structure 10 of extruded aluminum and a central paneling 11 of fiber glass material. As viewed in FIG. 1, the left corner post or inner door post 12 sealingly receives the left vertical edge of the inner door 5 and the right corner post or outer door post 13 sealingly receives the right vertical edge of the outer door 6. As seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 the top sideplate structure 8 is provided with a gusset plate 14 at each end ofthe car. A transverse or left end wall 15 as viewed in FIG. 1 joins with and forms the inner door post and a right end wall 16 joins with and forms the outer or outside door post 13. The entrance into the car doorway is provided with a threshold 17 that runs the length of the car after which is mounted the wood floor 18 mounted on longitudinal means 21. FIGS. 2 and 3 disclose the inner and outer door end frame sealing relationship with the respective end .or corner post of the car respectively, the inner door post 12 being provided with a door seal structure 19 and the outer door post 13 being provided with an outer door seal structure 20.

view taken along line 3-3 of view taken along line 4-4 of view taken along line 5-5 of view taken along line 6-6 of view taken along line 7-7 of view taken along line 8-8 of As seen best in FIGS. 1 and 1a the door framing 10 includes the side mounted longitudinally spaced door frame elements 22 connecting with the upper and lower door framing portions and including an outside strip part 23 having a projection 23a lying against the inside strip 24 which is riveted or held by bolt means b to the outside strip 23. It is to be noted that the fiber glass panel 11 is held to the framing 10 through the intermediary of a pair of framing fingers, 10a, 100 the inner finger 10a being slightly longer than the outer finger 10a as shown, for instance, in FIGS. 2 and 3 and in other places throughout the drawings. It is also to be noted that various components are welded to each other as indicated by a weld symbol and the letter w. Also in most cases, as indicated throughout the drawings, the framing 10 has a framing flange 10b adjacent the attachment of the fingers 10a to thepanel 11 to protect the attachment bolt means b. The flange 10b also acts as a structural strengthening element or stiffener.

With reference now to FIG. 2, the seal arrangement between the end post 12 and the end framing 10 of the inner door or inside door 5 is shown wherein 19 represents the door seal, which is generally S-shaped, having the attachment part 19a held to post 12 by bolt means b which seal member 19 may be easily removed for removing the both doors from the side of the car. The seal member 19, which is made of aluminum, further constitutes an outwardly projecting portion 19b connecting with a horizontal portion 19c and a slightly outwardly tapered or sloping portion 19d. The upright corner framing part 27 of the framing 10 of the inner door 5 is the elongated portion fitting in between the longitudinally extending arm 19c and the door post seal arm 25 against which is pressed the stainless steel plate seal and bearing member 26 which has its ends 260, 26a retained in hook portions 27a, 27a of the framing element 27. The steel arm is generally U- shaped and has outwardly projecting short portion 25a, longitudinally extending elongated portion 25b, and inwardly short diagonally extending portion 25c, and end portions 25d. The portions 250 and 25d are welded to the post 12 and end wall 15 respectively, as indicated by w, and the post 12 is welded to the end wall 15. The spring steel seal 26 causes the projection or upright corner framing 27 of the inner door framing to press snugly in sealing engagement against the outer corner post seal element 19 as best seen in FIG. 2. The outer door sealing arrangement with its corner past 13, as shown in FIG. 3, has the corner door seal element 20 in sealing engagement with the elongated projection or upright corner framing 28 of the outer door framing 10 because of the V- shaped spring steel element 29 having its ends 29a, 29a in projections 28a, 28a of element 28 and pressing against both seal arm portions 300 of post seal arm 30 much as in the arrangement of the inner door end sealing design of FIG. 2. The seal element 20 does extend outwardly further from the post 13 relative to the seal element 19 but that is because the outer or outside door 6 is spaced outwardly of the inside door 5. Otherwise the framing l0 and stringers 10a and bolt means b as well as the seal element 20 and the arm 30 are similarly related to its post 13 and end wall 16 as is the seal element 19 and arm 25, its post 12, and end wall 15. The arm 30 is composed of an outwardly projecting elongated portion 30a, outwardly diagonally directed portion 30b, and elongate longitudinal portion 30c welded, as indicated by w, to the portion 20a of the member 20 which is provided also with a horizontal portion 20b and outwardly turned slightly diagonally extending portion 200. Thus the frame projection 28 of the outer door has flush engagement in the sealing relation with the post mounted sealing element 20.

Now with reference to FIG..8, the center seal arrangement 31 between the inner ends of the inner and outer doors is shown. The inner end framing portions or members 32 and 36 of the inner door and outer door respectively overlap and intercouple with one another in a sealing relation. The inner door inner end framing portion 32 is composed of thin portions 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d and 32e to define a generally C- shaped structure with the end portion 32d tapering downwardly and inwardly toward the side of the car. The outer door inner end framing portion 36 is also C-shaped such that it couples or overlaps with inner framing 32, the outer door inner end framing portion 36 having parts 36a, 36b and 360 defining the C-shaped member, the end part 360 lying flush against and intertwining with the part 32c of the inner door inner end framing portion 32 with the diagonal portion 32c intermediate projection portion 36b of the outer door inner end framing portion 36. The V-shaped steel clip or seal member has its ends 35a, 35a in book portions 33 and 34 of seal element 32 such as to press elongate projection 360 against the elongate projection 320 to ensure snug sealing relationship between the respective sliding doors when in the closed position. Framing construction and panel construction 11 at the center door seal arrangement is the same as with the end seal arrangements of the doors with the post as discussed above.

The framing 10 of the outside door has an upper horizontal framing portion or part 37 and a lower horizontal framing part 43, the upper and lower framing portions forming closed sealing closures with the upper and lower portions of the door opening at the sideplate and side sills. Similarly, the inside door framing has an upper horizontal framing portion 40 and a lower horizontal framing portion 45 which has complementary intercoupling or intersealing arrangement with the upper and lower door opening portions as defined by the sideplates and side sill. In addition, the outer and inner doors are hung on the sideplates and side sills by rollers mounted on the door framing portions of the doors to permit the doors to be extended and rolled past one another longitudinally of the car. The outer door upper horizontal framing structure has a lower horizontally extending flange portion 37a terminating in a slightly raised end and has an inner upwardly directed arm or flange portion 37b, a plurality of vertically mounted longitudinally spaced rollers 46 held by roller mounts 52 against the vertical faces of the upright arm 37b. A horizontal longitudinally extending flange or ledge 38 extends outwardly from the upright arm 37b and carries, on its horizontal surface a roller bracket 52 for carrying roller 47 which engages downwardly depending outer flange or wall 8b of the sideplate 8. The outwardly projecting horizontal flange 38 has a downward depending outer end portion 38a, and other flange portion 39 extending longitudinally of the car is directed inwardly and somewhat opposite of the flange portion 38 and has an upright arm or baffle 39a which cooperates with the upper end extension 38b of the upright part 37 to also act as a baffle for reception of depending baffle flnger or flange 8d depending from horizontally outwardly directing longitudinally extending arm or flange 8c of the sideplate 8. The sideplate 8 has inwardly directed upwardly turned arm portion 8a connected to the horizontal portion 8a which is in turn connected to the upwardly outwardly placed flange portion 18b, the roller 46 engaging the flange portion 8a. Thus it'is seen that the outwardly extending overhanging C-shaped portion of the sideplate 8 engagingly receives roller 47 against its vertical surface and roller 46 against its horizontal surface to thereby carryingly and rollingly support the outer door and yet to cooperate with horizontal baffle 38 and 38a and vertical baffle 8b to prevent entrance of rain, dust and other foreign material inside the car. The upper framing portion 40 of the inside door is a mirror image of the upper framing portion 37 of the outside door and is spaced adjacent to it but inwardly thereof, and is defined by the lower upright longitudinally extending flange or arm 41 which carries inwardly directed longitudinally extended arm or roller carrying extension or baffle 41 having a downwardly extending baffle portion 41a and an upwardly directed baffle portion 400 and an outwardly directed longitudinally extending closure portion or baffle portion 40b provided with an outer upright extending longitudinally extending baffle portion 400. The lower end of the upright portion 41!) has an outwardly projecting lower portion 410 and shortened end portion 42. Roller 49 has a bracket 49a connected to the outward facing vertical face of the upright arm member 41b and the roller 49 and supportingly engages the lower inner end horizontal arm 8i of the plate 8 which is spaced below and overlapping inner frame plate arm portion 41 in baffling relation therewith. Roller 50 engages the vertical surface of the downwardly extending arm 8h of the sideplate 8 and is mounted by roller bracket 52 on the horizontal surface of the inwardly directed arm portion 41. A downwardly directed baffle flange extending longitudinally of the car is extended down between upright arm 40a of the upper frame portion of the inner door and upright arm 400 of the upper portion of the framing of the inner door. Thus it is seen that the baffle fingers 40a, 40c and 40d of the framing portion receive the baffle 8e of the sideplate portion and the baffle plate portion 81' of the sideplate is received between the upper and lower baffle plates 41c.

The outside door lower horizontal framing 43 includes an outer horizontal flange 43a having a downwardly depending flange 43b and an inwardly directed horizontal flange 44 which carries roller support 52 and roller 48 which engages vertical inward side of side sill seal element 7d which depends from horizontal flange or baffle 7c connected to the side sill 7. An inwardly directed horizontal baffle flange 43c connects with the flange 43a and the downward depending flange 43b. The flange or arm portions 430, 43b and 44 form a downward depending C-shaped closure element about the seal element portion and 7d attached to the side sill. The inner door framing 45 is similarly C-shaped and is provided with upper attaching portion 45a, downwardly extending portion 45b, and inwardly extending horizontal portion 450 to define said C- shaped closure portion 45 into which extends the sealing or baffle L-shaped element composed of parts 7a and 7b, the horizontal portion 7a being attached to the side sill 7 and the outer downwardly depending portion 7b being attached to the portion 7a. A roller 51 engages the vertical surface of the downward depending seal element portion 7b and is mounted by mount means 52 to the horizontally inwardly extending portion 450 of the inner frame portion of the inner door. The rollers for the lower portions of the inner and outer door engage vertical inwardly facing surfaces of the seal elements mounted to the side sills and the lower ends of the doors from moving laterally outwardly from the side ofthe car.

Thus, the invention provides for a box car arrangement having inner and outer relatively slidable doors having longitudinally extending upper framing portions complementary with the longitudinally extending extruded aluminum sideplate structure (on each side of the car) which acts as a door extending arrangement including longitudinally extending door roller guide track means which also acts as a top of door weather seal in conjunction with the upper framing portion of each of the doors. The lower framing portions of each door also cooperate with the lower portion or side sill construction of the car to longitudinally guide the rollers mounted on the lower door portions and also act as a weather seal. Further the vertical edges of the outer and inner ends of the doors cooperate with their respective end posts and with each other to provide further weather seal means.

The foregoing description and drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not to be limited thereto since those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

l. in a railroad box car having a full length door opening on each side of the car, each side of the car having:

sliding laterally spaced inner and outer doors each of which are substantially half the length of the door opening for closing same when spaced longitudinally of one another, each door having an upper baffle portion,

an upper sideplate structure having a downwardly extending sealing baffle structure,

said baffle structure including an outer baffle means for intertwining with the upper baffle portion of the outer box car door and an inner baffle means for intertwining with the upper baffle portion of the inner box car door,

each baffle means having door support track means for movingly supporting its respective door,

each door upper baffle portion having antifriction support means mounted thereon movably engagingly received in the respective track means for movement of the respective door longitudinally therealong,

each door upper baffle portion having antifriction guide means mounted thereon and spacingly guiding its door longitudinally of the car,

the support track means of one door being in substantially lateral'horizontal alignment with the support track means of the other door and each baffle means being in substantially horizontal lateral alignment with the other to provide for maximum vertical depth of door opening.

2. The invention according to claim I, and

said outer baffle means being a C-shaped construction and said inner baffle means being a reversed C-shaped construction facing the first mentioned C-shaped construction.

3. The invention according to claim I, and

a first end post having a weather seal arrangement,

said inner door having a vertically extending outwardly projecting baffle arrangement complementally registering with the seal arrangement of the first end post, and

a second end post having a baffle seal arrangement and said outer side door having a vertically extending baffle seal arrangement complementally registering with the second end post.

4. The invention according to claim 1, and

center seal means defined by the overlapping and frictionally engaging sealing edges of each of the inner and outer doors.

5. The invention according to claim 1, and

an end post for each door, each end post having an outwardly disposed and generally longitudinally extending seal element and an inner disposed longitudinally extending seal arm to define a door seal receiving space,

each door carrying an outer longitudinally extending seal element having sealing engagement with the post seal element when it is in the receiving space in the door closed position, and

seal spring means between the door seal element and the post seal arm in the door closed position urging the door seal element into tight sealing engagement with the post sealing element.

6. The invention according to claim 1, and

said inner door having a lower baffle portion having antifriction guide means thereon and the outer door having a lower baffle portion spaced generally underneath the inner door lower baffle portion,

said outer door lower baffle portion having antifriction guide means,

a lower side sill below the door opening, and

upper and lower baffle weather seal plate means spaced in generally vertical alignment with one another and mounted on the outer side of the side sill and presenting respective guide engaging faces for the respective lower antifriction guide means cooperative with the respective upper guide means in guiding the door longitudinally of the car.

7. The invention according to claim 6, and

said antifriction means being roller means.

8. The invention according to claim 6, and

said lower baffle portion of the outer door being in overlapping baffling relation with the lower baffle portion of the inner door. 

